Bruised
by DebateShortie
Summary: Abby freaks out when Tony takes a bullet in a fight. She doesn't like it when friends get hurt. NO DEATH! Tabby friendship, maybe more? R&R as usual.


Abby paced frantically in her lab office, waiting for the team to get back. They was in a gun fight and Tony had gotten shot, taking a bullet to the chest. She demanded that he be sent down to see her the moment they got back to base. She turned to see the very man in front of her.

She squealed in relief and practically jumped into his arms. She was so happy to see him that she didn't take into account injuries until she had already landed in his embrace. She backed away and tried to hide the tears in her eyes when he yelped in pain.

"Oh! You.. I thought..." She paced before him; his form never leaving her sight. She had been so worried that he wouldn't come back to her. She needed her best friend.

"Abs, I'm fine! Kevlar caught the bullet. The most I'll have is a nasty bruise."

"But... You.." She still wasn't convinced.

"Abby, I'm ok! Here, listen for yourself."

He opened his arms in invitation. She carefully stepped into his embrace, this time remembering his injury, and leaned her head gently against his injured chest. He winced a little. He did have a hell of a bruise. Abby listened to the beating of his heart, steady and strong; the only thing that she heard in her otherwise silent office. She pulled away after a few minutes and looked at him.

"I want to see it." She didn't have a security camera in her office, so that wouldn't be a problem. Before he had a chance to respond, she began to unbutton his shirt, fearful of what she would see.

"Abby!" She ignored his protests and parted the two halves of his shirt; she examined his bruised chest carefully. The blossoming bruise centered on the middle of his chest. The darkest blacks and purples covering the skin over his heart. She gasped as the realization hit her; if it hasn't been for the vest, he would have been dead, the shot dead center. She choked back another sob and turned away.

"You could have been killed!" The franticness returned.

"But I wasn't. I had the Kevlar on for a reason." He looked for the words to sooth her worries. He was alive and fine, standing right there with her.

He brought her against his still bare chest and soothed her. She lightly traced the bruise and the toned flesh around it. She removed herself from his arms and looked up at him as he re buttoned his shirt. He exited her lab quickly, trying to escape how awkward that had become.

_NCISNCISNCIS_

Tony grumbled as he got out of bed to see who was pounding on his door at this hour. He neglected to pull on a shirt, after all it was 02:00. That's two in the morning. He opened the door to see a very panicked Abby. She threw herself at him and sobbed. He bit back a groan as her body met full force with his injury. He immediately regretted not grabbing a shirt as she noticed the dark bruise on his chest again.

"I had a dream. But this time you weren't wearing a vest. You were dead! I saw you hit the ground and bleed out and was powerless to stop it, to save you." She sobbed all the harder.

She was so scared. He pulled her through the door and into his arms. He rubbed her back and assured her that he was still very much alive. He led her over to the couch. Past experience had taught him that she wouldn't calm down and sleep unless he was right there.

Whenever she had the dreams like this, she always stayed with the person. She had to know that the dream wasn't real. It had been real when she dreamed of her parents' death. So she made herself at home and slept at their house, in thier bed. Nothing ever happened, it was just two friends sharing a bed. Not that she couldn't tease and harrass McProbie about it.

"Can I stay?" She sheepishly asked him, knowing of course that he would say yes. He couldn't deny her anything. Nobody could.

"Of course Abs." He gently rearranged her on his chest so she could hear and feel his heart beating. So she would know that the dreams were wrong. Her fingers absently traced his chest in circle motions. He felt her relax and calm in his arms as sleep claimed her. She would sleep and sleep well... he just wouldn't.


End file.
